My life is a 7-layer dip

I love 7-layer dip. Each layer is tasty by itself, but when all the layers are combined, the end result is truly wonderful. First you start with a layer of refried beans. Next you put on mashed avocados seasoned with Lawry's seasoning salt. The next layer is chopped tomatoes followed by chopped green onions. The fifth layer consists of sour cream with and here's a surprise, Hidden Valley fiesta dip. Then comes sliced black olives. Finally, the seventh layer, shredded cheddar cheese.

I am sure you might be wondering why I am discussing a 7-layer dip for my HELM essay. I suppose I see this as a metaphor for a basis of my life with each important area of my life revealing itself just as with each new layer of the dip.

The first layer and the foundation of my dip is faith. Religion is an important aspect to have in our lives, but it is by far outweighed by the concept of faith. Faith is not merely a religious idea, it abounds in our everyday lives from friends and family, to trusting in ourselves. All relationships are based on trust, and to have trust, we need to have faith that others will follow through on what they have promised. Faith in ourselves is also very important. Having faith in myself is the reason I strive to make such a difference in the world. Although faith is not necessarily religious, the religious faith I have experienced all my life has also been the basis for everything which has happened in my life. I base my decisions on what will not only further myself, but those I care for and humanity as a whole. We are after all one human family.

The next layer of my dip is family. In a society such as the one we live in today, it is odd to hear of a family completely untouched by divorce. I have grown up as an only child in a very close-knit family. Despite being an only child, my five cousins all live within a ten-minute drive and I usually see them a few times a week. Our entire family is untouched by the idea of divorce; all happily married and successful. We have family outings and I am comfortable approaching any member of my family, child, parent, or grandparent, to have a personal discussion. Fortunately, we were raised knowing our grandparents, an experience unique in itself, and then traveling all over the world with them. I was raised with strong family values and I plan to live those values throughout my life. Some of these values include "My word is my bond," symbolizing promise and trust, and "You have to like who you see in the mirror," meaning have honor and integrity within yourself and in your interactions with others.

Next comes friends. I have surrounded myself with a group of friends for whom I have complete respect. This means that I have carefully chosen people as my friends I can trust and who have the same values I do. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't take drugs, and I have surrounded myself with a group of friends who demonstrate those same values. I have friends from all different interest groups from school, 4-H, church, volleyball, clubs, and other organizations, but the common thread they all share is that they are confident in what they want, and they fight for what they believe.

My next layer is education. I am a freshman at Chapman University. I believe, in order for me to accomplish what I want to in life, no matter what it is, I need to have a strong educational background. In fact, from my earliest memory my parents used to tell me that they would support me in anything I wanted to do, but it required a college degree. "Dog trainer? Ice cream scooper?" "Yes," was always the answer; it required four years of college. I want to pursue as much education as I can because I believe that education is what I need to further my position and purpose in this world. I want to make a difference, and for me it is the educated who will be able to make that happen. Receiving an education is the biggest step towards making a difference because you can apply it in every aspect of your life. From being an engineer, to making basic purchases at the supermarket, every person is going to need basic reading, writing, and math skills in their lives. I have worked hard, and plan to continue working hard in college each and every semester to better myself, doing whatever I can, and getting whatever extra help I need in order to achieve my goals.

The fifth layer is church. I have been raised in the Disciples of Christ church my entire life. Both of my parents were raised in religious families; my mom, Disciples of Christ, and my dad, Methodist, so it was no surprise that religion was a place where they wanted me to ground myself. Almost as soon as I could walk, my parents sent me to Sunday school where I spent every Sunday morning learning about the Bible and eventually becoming a church acolyte. Since then, I have become more involved in the church with each passing year. At the beginning of high school, I became a diaconate, meaning that I serve communion during the church service. Sophomore year, I joined a transformation task force which looked at revamping the decision making process of our church as well as a task force to look at hiring a new minister. Junior and senior year, I joined the youth leadership team for my region. This is a group of twelve youth members that represents Disciples of Christ in Hawaii, Oregon, California, and Nevada. I was nominated by the board members of our church and offered a chance to be a member-at-large and youth representative on the Council of Elders for our congregation. Through all this, I have continued to be involved in my youth group on a congregational, regional, and recently, national level. This fall, I have expanded my commitment by serving on the World Outreach ministry and have started "Together we Can," a ministry in our church which replenishes our food bank. I am also actively involved in DOC worship and activities at Chapman.

The next layer is service to others. I base most of my extracurricular activities on being service-oriented toward others because that's where I feel my passion lies. I joined 4-H (a community service and youth development based club) in fourth grade and have continued in it for eight years. I served in the offices of recreation leader, reporter, secretary, camp counselor, camp director, and vice president. Throughout high school I participated in clubs such as Amnesty International and HAWC (Healthy Attitudes Working in Community). I also spent time as a training instructor at a local taekwondo studio where I taught kids self-defense skills, promoting and living the values of integrity, respect, perseverance, and self-control. I also try to facilitate and participate in as many school activities as possible. This past year, I facilitated a National Day of Silence campaign at my school, as well as Ally Week. I participated in the Global Campaign for Education in which a group of ten Amnesty International students went to elementary schools and taught students about the importance and value of continued education.

The last layer is fun. This layer represents all the activities that I do that I just find enjoyable. Currently, the main part of this being the assistant coach of my former Mock Trial team. Mock Trial has been such a rewarding experience that I have considered looking into a career in law or other related fields. This layer also includes all of my hobbies. My favorite hobby would definitely be photography. As my grandmother puts it, I "see life through the lens of a camera." Everywhere I go, I am constantly looking at different angles, lighting, and compositional elements which would make a good photograph. I enjoy working with both digital and film cameras and in my free time, enjoy playing around with Photoshop. Other fun activities that I participate in are reading, listening to music, "texting," and creative writing.

Every activity and person in my life is part of my 7-layer dip. Some may be in one layer, some may be in four, some in six. Each individual layer is an important and integral part of the dip and would be missed if not included. The same is true in my life. All of these activities and the people on whom I can count have come together to make me the person that I am today and I wouldn't be the same without them. Each layer has contributed something different to my life and my personality. Just as with the dip, the end result is a wonderful and delicious creation. Truly, in this case, the sum is greater than the equal of its individual parts.

Cambria Findley-Grubb is in her first year as a HELM Leadership Fellow and is a member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Fullerton, California.